


Imbalance

by Patricia_Sage



Series: Taako Alone [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Bureau of Balance - Freeform, Campaign: Balance (The Adventure Zone), Candlenights, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Good Friend Magnus Burnsides, Good Friend Merle Highchurch, Good Sibling Lup (The Adventure Zone), Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides Backstory, Magnus Burnsides Misses Julia Burnsides, Mentioned Lup (The Adventure Zone), Merle Highchurch Backstory, POV The Director | Lucretia, Sad The Director | Lucretia, Sizzle It Up with Taako (The Adventure Zone), Spoilers, Taako Angst (The Adventure Zone), Taako Character Study (The Adventure Zone), Taako Has Issues (The Adventure Zone), Taako Has PTSD (The Adventure Zone), The Director | Lucretia Angst, The Director | Lucretia is a Mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27713563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patricia_Sage/pseuds/Patricia_Sage
Summary: But Taako…she barely recognized him. He looked the same, prettier even, and he had the same sense of style and sense of humour. But this Taako was all sharp edges, cold and dangerous.This was Taako alone.[Lucretia reflects and regrets]
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans & The Director | Lucretia, Davenport & The Director | Lucretia, Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch, Magnus Burnsides & Merle Highchurch & Taako, Magnus Burnsides & Taako, Magnus Burnsides & The Director | Lucretia, Merle Highchurch & Taako, The Director | Lucretia & Lup, The Director | Lucretia & Merle Highchurch, The Director | Lucretia & Taako
Series: Taako Alone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031121
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	Imbalance

Taking away their memories was the hardest thing Lucretia had ever done.

Their minds were too blank to express betrayal, but she didn’t need them to speak. She heard their voices and saw their faces in her dreams for years. Would they ever forgive her?

And Lucretia was so lonely. She tried to give her friends the lives that they deserved. She watched Magnus and Merle start their own families. She saw “Sizzle It Up with Taako” gain popularity all over the world. She kept Davenport close to protect him, even though it hurt her heart to see him as a husk of who he once was. She wondered were Barry was. She mourned the loss of Lup. And all on her own, she created the Bureau of Balance.

Bringing Merle, Magnus, and Taako to the Bureau wasn’t initially part of the plan, but she needed them. Even without their memories they were still the most incredible heroes on the planet (bumbling and unconventional, but amazing). It was nice to see them again. They had been through so much.

Merle was recovering from a broken marriage and struggling to be a good father and a good servant of Pan. Magnus had suffered the indescribable loss of his wife and was trying to make the world a better place in her memory. Taako lived with the responsibility of the deaths of forty innocents, unable to forgive himself or truly move forward, searching for distraction.

Spending more time with them, Lucretia conceptualized how strange it was to see Taako without Lup. The twins would always spend time together, laughing at strange inside jokes, usually getting into trouble. Lucretia had initially thought they brought out the worst in each other, but she began to realize that they also balanced each other out. They were like planets in a solar system, always orbiting and grounding each other. The others were amazed at how Taako and Lup seemed to be able to communicate without words – maybe they were using magic, but maybe that’s just what it was like to spend your entire lives together. Lucretia didn’t realize how much Lup was a part of Taako until she took Lup out of his life.

Taako without Lup was…kind of terrifying.

It warmed Lucretia’s aching heart when, despite their memory loss, Merle and Magnus connected with her. Sitting in the spa, talking about faith with Merle, it felt like when they used to sit on the beach together. Lucretia wanted to draw a picture of the cleric as he lounged with cucumbers over his eyes. He had a few more scars, a missing limb, but he was _Merle_ , and he always knew how to change her perspective when things were bad. And Magnus was still a giant puppy of a man, giving out high fives and hugs to a woman who (in his mind) he had just met. But Lucretia let herself accept his general affection and, in her quiet moments, let herself pretend. Magnus was just being himself, trying to make the world brighter, connecting with even a distant new boss. But to Lucretia it felt like home.

But Taako…she barely recognized him. He looked the same, prettier even, and he had the same sense of style and sense of humour. But this Taako was all sharp edges, cold and dangerous. She didn’t take it personally when he didn’t connect to her, but it broke her heart to see that he also wasn’t connecting to Magnus and Merle. Sure, they talked and shared jokes and protected each other, but it wasn’t like Before. Lucretia saw that Taako had built very strong walls around himself in the new life she gave him. Whenever conversations got personal, he made a sassy quip, deflected abruptly, or lashed out with venom. He didn’t trust anyone.

This was Taako alone.

Lucretia wondered what Lup would do if she could see what Lucretia had done to her brother.

Candlenights was particularly conflicting for Lucretia. To Merle, Magnus, and Taako, this was their first celebration together. But Lucretia had loved them for over 100 years. She knew exactly what she would get them, what would make them smile. A shell necklace for Merle, a whittling set for Magnus, an enchanted pair of earrings for Taako ( _a pocket compass for Davenport, a new pair of boots for Barry, throwing knives for Lup_ ). But she was only their boss. So, she got them nothing but their Candlenights bonus.

But they still gave gifts to her. And they didn’t know her very well, so the choices were a little odd. She definitely wasn’t going to take Magnus up on that back-rub offer. But Taako was cooking (well, baking) again, for the first time since the tragedy. It was so nice to get a glimpse of the old Taako for a moment. He was proud of himself.

And, for one beautiful night, Lucretia let herself imagine that things were going to be okay, that her plan was going to work. She had her friends with her again. She could do this. She could set things right.

But then the night sky was filled with eyes and Lucretia was filled with despair. The Hunger was here. She was too late. She had failed them…again.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are always appreciated! I'm not sure how active this fandom is, so if you read this let me know!


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